New York Art Fair Week

Date posted: March 4, 2010Author: jolanta

The Armory Show, the big attraction of New York Arts Week, and why shouldn’t it be? With the most important names of the 20th and 21st century on their list, it is one of the most valued events in the New York art world. However, the more recent trend of less established art fairs representing less established artists is becoming more and more sought after. Amongst the participants this year are the Fountain Art Fair, the PooL Art Fair, the Verge Art Fair, and new-comer, the Independent Art Fair.

The Armory Show, the big attraction of New York Arts Week, and why shouldn’t it be? With the most important names of the 20th and 21st century on their list, it is one of the most valued events in the New York art world. However, the more recent trend of less established art fairs representing less established artists is becoming more and more sought after. Amongst the participants this year are the Fountain Art Fair, the PooL Art Fair, the Verge Art Fair, and new-comer, the Independent Art Fair.

Conceived by Elizabeth Dee, founder of the X Initiative, and Darren Flook, gallerist from Hotel, London, the Independent Art Fair aims to “reexamine the art fair model”. Constructed to echo “the changing attitudes and growing challenges for artists, gallerists, curators, and collectors,” the Independent exists as a self-described mix between a consortium and collective, collaborating on conceptual actions, as well as finances, with the artists they provide a platform for.

Similarly to the Independent Art Fair, PooL Art Fair has an alternative taking to the art fair tradition in another regard. PooL is one of the few reputable art fairs that only takes on independent artists without representation. In honor of Courbet’s institution of the Salon des Refusés, PooL proudly displays valid artists that ordinarily wouldn’t have such exposure.

Fountain Art Fair is yet another fairly new art fair catering towards a more local crowd. Supporting the latest, emerging artists who are not quite established yet, Fountain’s atmosphere is said to have a fresh, edgy, youthful feel. Its usual residence from year to year is a rented warehouse, opposing the expected and popular hotel exhibits. The art is described as having much more street-smart, self-taught sensibilities, setting this fair aside from its more esteemed contenders.

Following suit in the ever-growing attention towards the lesser known is the Verge Art Fair. Not unlike the rest of the art fairs concerning themselves with smaller galleries, Verge also exists on much less intimidating scale in comparison to the bigger names like the Armory Show and the Art Show. Their collection of galleries spans New York, the rest of our nation’s art epicenters, and rising international galleries. Though their origins are broad, there still remains a local feel resting in the fact that many of the galleries shown are based in Brooklyn.

The underground, the local, the grass roots. New York Art Fair Week is seeing a new light! And the Independent, Verge, PooL, Fountain, are all contributing to this exciting shift in contemporary exhibiting and moving forward in shaping a new frame for the art fair practice.